The oft-injured Detroit forward is back on the shelf, as the Wings announced Thursday that Eaves would miss the next 2-4 weeks with MCL and ankle sprains.

“I think we we need to take a week to see how he feels,” Wings GM Ken Holland told MLive, noting that Eaves was hurt in a net-front collision during Thursday’s practice.

“The doctors feel the ankle is going to heal quicker than the MCL sprain.”

Eaves, 29, missed almost all of the 2011-12 season and part of last season after taking a Roman Josi slapshot to the head during a game against Nashville in ’11.

Two months into the 2013 campaign, more bad luck — Eaves took a deflected puck to the jaw in March, causing him to miss more time.

When healthy, Eaves is a solid contributor to Detroit’s bottom-six forward group. A good skater with penalty-killing abilities, he was a useful piece during last year’s playoff run, scoring three points in 13 games while finishing third among forwards in hits, with 25.

Given Detroit’s glut of forwards, it’s possible Eaves could start the year on injured reserve, giving Holland more time to figure out how to get his roster cap compliant.